10 Drills That Have Transformed My Triathlon Swim
I LOVE drills.
You might think it’s weird, but here’s my thought process.
There are well-meaning folks on the interwebs who try to help new swimmers by saying things like:
“You just have to put in the work.”
“Be consistent.”
“More time in the water. That’s how you get better at swimming.”
Now, all of these things are true, but if that’s where it stops (with a vague Instagram catchphrase) that doesn’t help you much, now does it?
The truth is more time in the water only helps you get better at swimming if you’re practicing the right things- establishing good form, technique, and movement patterns. Otherwise, it does nothing more than cement bad form. You get really good at swimming poorly.
And nobody wants that.
That’s where drills come in!
Today, I want to show you my top 10 favorite drills that have totally transformed my swimming. Many of these drills I’ve learned from my coach, and some I’ve picked up over the years from watching videos. If you like this sort of thing- Effortless Swimming on YouTube is an excellent resource.
What benefits do swim drills provide?
First of all, I must confess that I love swimming. But I understand not all triathletes feel the same way. If you’re one of those people who gets bored staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool, do drills!
Drills help to break up the monotony of swimming at the same pace for hours on end. In fact, breaking up your swim into smaller intervals (50s, 75s, 100s, 200s) is a great way to work on swimming at different intensities, while maintaining good form, which improves swim fitness.
Longer sets are good too, but if you only swim to “cover the distance,” you tire yourself out and your form suffers as a result.
First, you must learn how to maintain a streamlined body position with a taut body line from head to toe with an engaged core. Then, you must learn how to anchor your catch and pull your body past your hand (like you’re climbing a ladder). Also, you have to learn how to rotate your upper body to breathe keeping one goggle underneath the water line. Finally, you incorporate a flutter kick for balance and propulsion.
How do you learn these things? With drills!
How often do we use drills?
You might be surprised to learn that 1/3 to 1/2 of our swim sets consist of drills! You can incorporate a few drills into your warm-up to realign your body position and establish a good catch before you get to the main set.
Sometimes, the main set even includes some drills, which can be used as active recovery between harder intervals. Finally, we might do a few drills during our cool-down, like kicking in streamline on our back or using a front snorkel.
What swim toys do I need to do drills?
Triathletes love their swim toys! Here’s what we have in our swim bag.
Front snorkel (I love this one from TYR)
Ankle strap (you could also use an exercise band)
Paddles (these Finis paddles are amazing with no wrist strap, so you must keep your hand in the right position or they fall off)
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My 10 Favorite Swim Drills
1. Butterfree
This is one of my favorites so I’m putting it first! My coach taught me this, and I love the name. It reminds me of a buttered piece of toast flying around like a butterfly, à la Alice in Wonderland. You need fins and a front snorkel for this drill.
Basically, it’s one dolphin kick for every stroke. Keep your legs and feet together and do one kick as your hand enters the water. This drill helps develop the connection between the hips and the stroke. The hips should drive the stroke forward, instead of relying solely on the shoulders.
2. Kickboard Tap
This is a great drill to promote feel for the water and a strong catch. While wearing a front snorkel and fins, place a kickboard between your upper thighs. Push off the wall in a good streamline. When your hand exits the water during recovery, tap the top of the kickboard. Try not to rush the catch or over-rotate your hips.
The only propulsion you get is from the catch, so this drill helps you learn how to anchor your catch in the water and pull through with a change in momentum- slowly at first and then speeding up towards the end of the stroke.